Extraordinary Adventures of an Ordinary Hat (North-South Paperback) [Paperback]

Wolfram Hanel (Author), C. Unzner-Fischer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Series: North-South Paperback

After years of aging--and dreaming of adventure--on the hat shelf in a store, the black bowler perks up after it is purchased by bald Mr. Bruno. Full-colorillustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-After years of sitting on a shelf in Jonathan's store, a black bowler is purchased by a bald man and is certain that its dreams of adventure and romance will finally come true. But Bruno only wears the hat to and from work, so it spends most of its time in the closet or the filing cabinet. Then he wears it on a summer camping trip, and it deliberately lets itself be carried away by the wind. Weeks later, Jonathan receives a letter from the bowler, now happily settled in South America, where it is owned by Don Leonardo. Best of all, Don Leonardo's new bride wears a sweet straw hat. The full-color, cartoon-style illustrations underscore the gentle humor in the text; the hats have facial features, and their detailed expressions make the tale come alive. The use of colors- ranging from soft grays and beiges to bright reds and blues-adds to the vibrant tone of the text. Not a first choice, but a nice addition with a surprising twist.
Mary Jo Drungil, Niles Public Library District, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-3, younger for reading aloud. After years of aging (and dreaming of adventure) on the hat shelf in a store, a black bowler perks up after it is purchased by bald Mr. Bruno. While being out in the world with Mr. Bruno is fun, the hat soon finds itself once again stuck on a shelf. Then, during a summer camping trip, the hat goes to the beach, takes off in the wind, and ends up in South America, where it becomes the property of Don Leonardo. It soon finds happiness with a lovely brimmed straw hat owned by Don Leonardo's bride. This smooth English translation of the book's original German text offers just the right sense of detail and emotion. Color and line drawings on every page, including an expressive face on the bowler, enhance this whimsical story with an unusual point of view. Deborah Abbott --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: North-South / Night Sky Books (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558584102
• ISBN-13: 978-1558584105
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,033,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the craziest books I've read, May 30, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Extraordinary Adventures of an Ordinary Hat (School & Library Binding)

In a hat store, a man bought a hat that was very special to the shopkeeper. It had always kept him company. Because the man who bought the hat was a bit boring, the hat was happy to fly away in the wind and have an adventure down, down, down with a boy that got married to a girl with a pretty hat. The hats got married! The hats sent a postcard to the shopkeeper and told them about their marriage and about what had happened. It is a nice book to read and I was excited when I read it. I would recommend it to second graders and older because it might be confusing to younger kids. It does have great pictures to show if you read it aloud. JG

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun with a quirky twist, March 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Extraordinary Adventures of an Ordinary Hat (North-South Paperback) (Paperback)

Most children love the anthropomorphism of objects (even if the critics sometimes frown on this). In this story, a bowler hat, of all things, is ascribed a personality and motivations. Why not? Imagine, if you can, how a hat would feel if he (and it definitely is a "he")were bought by a dull man who leads a dull life. Imagine how such a hat might wish to take advantage of prevailing winds to go on a great adventure. There you have it! The charm of the illustrations lends the story an extra twist of quirkiness, as we watch the changing expressions on this risk-taking chapeau.